American Civil War historiography and publishing blogged daily by Dimitri Rotov.

12/17/2004

Chancellorsville and fundraising disconnects

Now that Civil War Preservation Trust is on the hook to Tricord for $3 million in the Chancellorsville battlefield land deal, now that its chiefs have told the press they are in fundraising mode, no trace of relevant information appears on the website's news page. No deal details, do donation appeals. Not as of today. It's business as usual.

This unparalleled opportunity involves all of us who are devoted to saving America’s Civil War battlefields. What this means, though, is that some of you who receive this letter will also see literature on the same topic from other preservation groups. That duplication is inevitable as we all strive together toward a common objective. There is no cause to worry about these multiple approaches. Pick any one of the pleas and join us in this noble endeavor.

The only way one can find out what CWPT is up to in any particular preservation project is if it is working with CVBT, in which case CVBT spills some of the info on its website. Note this CVBT caveat:

As always, your donations [to CVBT] will be directed to dirt and grass, not paid staff.

That distinction is important to me. One could even have (uncharitably) said "directed to dirt and grass, not secretive, out-of-control paid staff."